Newsletter - Spring 2017

Transcription

1 Newsletter - Spring 2017 WELCOME! Welcome to the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy newsletter. In this issue: Meet three new Steering Committee members. Review research conducted by faculty members. Recap a visit by the Hughes Center's most recent Legislator in Residence. Learn about Polling Institute election season poll results. Read HESIG recommendations on how to improve higher education in NJ. Save the date for the Hughes Center Honors. Please visit to find out more about Hughes Center activities, research and publications. Thank you for your continued support. Cordially, Sharon E. Schulman, Executive Director 1

2 Hughes Center Steering Committee Updates Welcome to our new Steering Committee members. Hughes Center Research Learn about the latest findings from the Hughes Center. Legislator in Residence Senator Loretta Weinberg visited Stockton as the Hughes Center's Legislator in Residence. Polling Institute Updates 2016 election season polls on issues important to both national and state interests. News from HESIG Recommendations on how to improve higher education in New Jersey. Hughes Center Honors Wednesday, October 25, 2017 Reception 5:30 PM Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club, Bayview Ballroom New Steering Committee Members Robert J. Brabston: Vice President and Divisional General Counsel for American Water's Northeast Division and Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary and Director, Government Affairs for New Jersey American Water Company, Inc. Robert J. Brabston is Vice President and Divisional General Counsel for American Water's Northeast Division and Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary and Director, Government Affairs for New Jersey American Water Company, Inc. Bob joined American Water in 2005 as Corporate Counsel for New Jersey and New York and in that role led the rate and regulatory team and served as lead counsel for rate cases, management audits and other significant rate and regulatory matters. Bob's primary responsibilities include acquisitions, business development opportunities, customer and regulatory matters, and corporate governance. Prior to joining American Water, Bob worked at the New Jersey Public Advocate, Division of Rate Counsel as Managing Attorney (Water and Wastewater) and Deputy Director for the 2

3 Division. Bob is a member of the Board of Directors of the NJ State Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey, and the NJ Utilities Association. Lori Herndon: President and CEO, AtlantiCare Lori Herndon, RN, BSN, MBA, is president and CEO of AtlantiCare, a member of Geisinger Health System. She is responsible for creating and implementing healthcare delivery strategy across AtlantiCare's system in a way that meets customers' needs and delivers on the promise of exceptional quality, experience and outcomes for the populations AtlantiCare serves. With more than 5,000 employees, Herndon guides AtlantiCare's transformation of health and care to the communities they serve through innovation, technology and growth. Herndon joined AtlantiCare in 1983 as a staff nurse in AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center's Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and has served in executive roles for the health system since Prior to her current role, she served as executive vice president, AtlantiCare, and president and CEO, ARMC. Herndon co chaired AtlantiCare's Community Advisory Group, composed of current and former patients, current and former staff, and other members of the community since its inception in 2011 through She serves on the boards of Southern Shore Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Stockton University Foundation, and the New Jersey Hospital Association. She was chair of the American Heart Association's 2010 Southern New Jersey Spring Start! Heart Walk and its 2012 Go Red for Women Luncheon. A member of the American College of Health Care Executives, she is a lifetime member of the Ruth Newman Shapiro Cancer and Heart Fund and the ARMC Mainland Campus Auxiliary. In 2013, Herndon was named to the Atlantic County Women's Hall of Fame. Also in 2013, Stockton University's William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy honored her with its "Distinctive Alumni Leadership Award." The Boy Scouts Jersey Shore Council honored her as distinguished citizen of the year in Herndon earned her Master of Business Administration degree at St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and her registered nurse degree at Geisinger Medical Center School of Nursing, Danville, Pennsylvania. Ronald W. Johnson: President and CEO, Shore Medical Center Ronald W. Johnson began his career with Shore Medical Center in 1996 when he was hired as Vice President/Chief Information Officer. In February 2005, Johnson was appointed Vice President/Chief Operating Officer. In December 2009, he was appointed Executive Vice President and held that position until he was named President and Chief Executive Officer in October of Prior to joining Shore, Johnson had been the Principle Consultant with CSC Consulting and Systems Integration in Philadelphia, Pa., where he provided management consulting and program and project management to a large number of clients across multiple vertical industries. Johnson's earlier positions included: Program Manager for Spectrum Technology Group, Inc., in Somerville, N.J.; Project Manager for Synercom Technology, Inc., in Houston, Tex.; and Technical Lead Programmer Analyst for CSC Systems Science Division. 3

4 Johnson earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Information and System Sciences in 1982 from Richard Stockton College in Pomona, N.J. He earned his Master of Business Administration degree in 1996 from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. Hughes Center Research State Revenue Forecasts: Building a Shared Reality In February, 2017 the Hughes Center published research that revealed ways to improve New Jersey's revenue forecasts and to reduce budget "surprises", and outlined opportunities to improve it through "building a shared reality" between the Governor and the Legislature. By comparing New Jersey's revenue forecasting with neighboring states, authors Daniel Mallinson and David Carr found the biggest shortcoming to be in the state's failure to establish and maintain a Surplus Revenue Fund sufficient to manage forecasting errors. Several recommendations for improvements are made, including using consensus forecasting and using longer term forecasts in the process. revenue forecasts Tax Expenditures in New Jersey In other research released in January, Professors Mallinson and Carr estimated the cost of New Jersey's many tax breaks to be at least $23.5 billion for fiscal year 2017, a figure that equals roughly two thirds of the state's annual budget. These "expenditures" are intended to attract or retain key businesses, support non profits that may be accomplishing public purposes, and to support groups of individuals who are seen as deserving, such as senior citizens, veterans, and the disabled. However, the authors cite certain causes for concern with the program, such as the lack of a process for regularly reevaluating such expenditures, the difficulty to increase the rate of growth in the value of the expenditures, and the significant dollar amounts of the expenditures. expenditures "Midwife to Democracy:" Civic Learning in Higher Education Research conducted by Assistant Professor of Political Science Jennifer Forestal and released by the Hughes Center in October, 2016 investigated methods used in civics instruction and made recommendations for its implementation, particularly in higher education. The report noted that while recommended and accepted methods of instruction take six distinct forms, higher educational institutions usually only adopt a few of these as part of its curriculum. Suggestions are made for integrating more civics education into the curriculum, including by offering a major or minor program in civics, or making a one semester course in civics a mandatory requirement for graduation. 4

5 to democracy Foreign Policy Views of New Jerseyans In September, 2016 the Hughes Center published research conducted by Assistant Professor of Political Science Tina Zappile that demonstrated how New Jerseyans are divided by party, gender, and other traits in their opinions on major foreign policy issues and America's role in world affairs. When asked to identify major threats to the well being of the United States, both Democrats and Republicans name ISIS as a top concern. Zappile noted that New Jersey businesses maintain strong economic ties with other countries, and that one out of five state residents was born in another country. "Government policy decisions about foreign affairs have a direct economic and personal effect on many residents of New Jersey," she said. policy views Legislator in Residence: Senator Loretta Weinberg State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg visited Stockton University on October as the university's Legislator in Residence, hosted by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy. Senator Weinberg, a Democrat, represents the 37th Legislative District in Bergen County and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and served in the state General Assembly from 1992 to 2005 before moving to the Senate. She was one of the lead legislative investigators of the "Bridgegate" scandal, which involved lane closures at the George Washington Bridge. During her visit to Stockton, Senator Weinberg toured the campus center with Dean of Students Pedro J. Santana, and then visited the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center with Director Gail Rosenthal. Senator Weinberg had lunch with Stockton President Harvey Kesselman, Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff Susan Davenport, Provost Lori Vermeulen, Hughes Center director Sharon Schulman, and other administration leaders and members of the faculty. Weinberg was also briefed by Senior Fellow Darryl Greer of the Center for Higher Education Strategic Information and Governance (HESIG) about his research on higher education, and then visited the Stockton Polling Institute, where she met with John Froonjian, senior research associate at the Hughes Center and chief organizer of the Legislator in Residence program, and student polling interviewers. Weinberg, an advocate of marriage equality, took part in Professor of Political Science Linda Wharton's "Women and the Law" class; Assistant Professor of Political Science Jennifer Forestal's "Introduction to Politics" class; Professor of Economics Ellen Mutari's "Economic Inequality" class; 5

6 Adjunct Instructor and former Activist in Residence Rona Whitehead's "Tools for Social Change" class; and Assistant Professor of Political Science Daniel Mallinson's "Public Administration" class. Polling Institute Updates A Stockton University poll conducted in the weeks leading up to last November's presidential election indicated that Democrat Hillary Clinton had opened up an eleven point lead over Republican Donald Trump in the contest for New Jersey's fourteen Electoral College votes, with a small minority of the population favoring the independent candidates. Interestingly, Clinton's lead over Trump increased after the FBI's announcement that it had found more Clinton s on the computer of one of her aides. "New Jersey is a blue state, and it doesn't appear that the latest headlines have shaken Clinton's base of Democratic support," said Sharon Schulman, executive director of the Hughes Center. In another vote important to New Jersey residents, an overwhelming 71 percent opposed a proposed state Constitutional amendment to allow two new casinos to be located 72 miles from Atlantic City. Regarding the second proposed Constitutional amendment, 63 percent supported dedicating increased gasoline tax revenues to pay for transportation projects. Looking ahead to the 2017 gubernatorial election, the poll found only two Republicans with any significant name recognition among New Jersey voters. Two thirds of respondents said Sen. Thomas Kean Jr., son of former Governor Thomas Kean, is familiar to them, while 41 percent were familiar with Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. Twelve percent or less say they are familiar with Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick, Evesham Mayor Randy Brown, Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and businessman Joseph Rullo. On the Democratic side, those mentioned as possible gubernatorial candidates were a little better known, with 34 percent familiar with declared candidate Phil Murphy, 26 percent with Assemblyman John Wisniewski, and 27 percent with Tom Byrne, son of former Gov. Brendan Byrne. The poll was conducted by the Stockton Polling Institute of the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy over the course of one week, using both landlines and cell phones. The poll had a reliable 95% confidence level, and interviewed 678 adults who were likely to vote. 6

7 To read about other polls conducted by Stockton during the latest election season, visit the following links: leads leads trump News from HESIG An October, 2016 publication by HESIG titled "Aligning Higher Education with Citizens' Needs, Expectations and a Promise of Success" recommended that New Jersey build a rationale for supporting higher education, and what it expects from its colleges. The report noted that while higher education cannot fix all of New Jersey's social and economic problems, it is extremely important to the hopes of a diverse state population that will consist of a larger share of racial minorities and new immigrants, and where a college degree will be virtually mandatory. Studies cited in the research showed that colleges need to change business and educational practices to increase value to students, primarily by offering more practical experiences tied to studies that provide the skills, abilities and values needed to succeed academically and in the workplace. HESIG survey research indicates that the single most important reason for citizens to attend college is to get a better job. Civic studies, while critical to students understanding the workings of a democratic society, is viewed by citizens as one of the least expected college outcomes. The report summarizes findings, observations and policy recommendations following four years of HESIG consultation and analysis, and suggests some priority strategies for the state and colleges to increase college value. paper 4 hesig William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University, 101 Vera King Farris Drive, Galloway, NJ SafeUnsubscribe {recipient's } 7